Angel of The Zodiac
by Blood Red Vampress
Summary: After a freak accident, 25 year old Fiora Suzuki falls into the care of Hatori Sohma. Fiora, having nowhere to return to, takes up Hatori on his offer to live with the Sohmas. Does she have what it takes to stand up to Akito and end the zodiac curse? R&R.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Fruits Basket characters.**

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**Prologue**

Voices. Too many voices and noises swirling around me. It was making me more and more scared by the second.

I felt people, doctors, prodding and poking me all over. One man hit the wrong spot in my leg and I screamed with all my might.

Just then, a handsome doctor leaned over me. God, he was hot.

"Hello Fiora. I'm Dr. Sohma. I'll be taking care of you. Can you start by telling me where exactly it hurts?," he spoke in his heavenly voice.

He was as calm as ever. Somewhat stoic and kind at the same time. I liked him already.

"My...leg...," I managed to mutter quietly.

"What was that?," he bent down closer to me.

Someone touched my stomach where it was sore. Unable to answer Dr. Sohma, I screamed and clawed at the bed with all the power I could muster.

"I know it hurts, Fiora. I just need you to talk to me or I can't help you," he encouraged me to speak.

All of a sudden: immense pain. Pain unlike I've never felt before in my life. Pain that was utterly indescribable, tormenting me slowly and drawing me into sleep.

As my eyes slowly closed, I heard more frantic calls and screams. Then I heard the erotic and unstable beat of the heart monitor go crazy. I fell into the sleep, praying that I would wake up and this torture would soon be over.

The last thing I heard before I blacked out was my doctor. Dr. Sohma's calm voice was now frantic as he screamed at the other doctors.

"Get her on oxygen! She's crashing! I need a crash cart stat!"

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**Hey...I can say I **_**tried**_** right? It may not be the best, but it gets much better. Promise! **

**I'm curently planning out this story to go for **_**at least**_** 10 chapters or more. I'm still working on that.**

**Now tell me what you think of the beginning. Review please! :)**


	2. Chapter 1: Savior

**Disclaimer: See last disclaimer please.**

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**Chapter 1- Savior**

I hear voices again. But, they're more quiet this time. It's almost like they're whispering.

I'm too scared to open my eyes now. All I see is black and I'm glad for that small comfort of darkness. It helped calm the headache.

I feel like crap now though. Absolutely terrible. It's like I've been beaten all over. It feels as though every part of my body was bruised. And it is uncomfortable.

But realization strikes me. I throw my eyes open suddenly.

It's the strangest feeling: I don't remember. Nothing. An absolute blank mind.

I take a few seconds to take in my surroundings. I try to sit up and only succeed in falling back down and groaning due to the pain.

"I would stay still if I were you. You're still heavily sedated," a voice spoke.

I instantly realized it. No doubt in my mind now. I was safe. Saved by Dr. Sohma. My savior.

Memories started to flood my mind. The last few memories were pain-filled and sorrowful. I only remember the white hospital room, people yelling and my pain.

I looked over to my left to see him sitting in a chair. There was a chart on the nearby table.

I turned the other way, to the right, to see a closed window. The shades were open wide and their was a considerable amount of sunlight pouring down on me.

I glanced quickly around the room to see boring, plain white walls and cabinets. The room was fairly small. Almost comfy and welcoming.

I decided I might as well say something since it was apparent that my doctor wasn't going to. And the silence is awkward.

"Hello Dr. Sohma."

Wow. That's the best I could come up with? He must think I'm a scared little rabbit now. Who's to say he isn't right? Sure...

"Hello. How are you feeling?"

It's absolutely beautiful. His voice was angelic. No. His face was angelic as well. Mysterious, but in a cute way.

"As well as can be expected, I guess."

It's true. That's how I felt.

"That's good. Do you remember what happened?"

What a question. What a painful question. But, I had to answer. For him at least.

"Yes..."

_**...flashback...**_

_"Hey Katrina, let's go into that shop!," I said to my friend. _

_It was girl's night out. My friend, who I lived with, Katrina, went out with me. We were shopping. _

_"Awww...look!," Katrina pointed to a little boy on the other side of the street._

_"Maybe he wants to cross?," I asked Katrina._

_"I think so. He so cute!," Katrina answered._

_He really was cute. Besides that, he looked scared and alone in the dark. He was definitely no more than six years old._

_"I'll go help him!," I smiled._

_Before I could hear Katrina's response, I bounced into the street._

_"Almost across the street, I looked back at my friend on the other side. She was screaming._

_"Fiora! Get out of the way! Car!," she screamed back at me. _

_Before I had a chance to react, I saw the bright lights approaching. _

_Doing what I thought would be the best, I pushed the boy that was on the curb onto the sidewalk in the last few seconds before impact. I saved his life._

_Then...nothing. I froze in my tracks. _

_The car sped down towards me and I only remember the slight feeling of vertigo as I got hit. I was flung at least twenty feet and into the nearby light pole._

_Pain. Terrible pain..._

_**...end flashback...**_

That's right. But that's all I can remember. I must have blacked out on the way to the hospital.

"Fiora? Are you alright?"

Who is that? Right! It's Dr. Sohma! I _am_ safe now!

I threw my eyes open quickly, realizing they were closed.

I looked into my doctor's eyes as I realized that mine were blurry with tears.

I raised a hand to wipe away the tears that spilled over onto my cheeks.

He handed me a tissue which I gratefully accepted and used to wipe my tears.

"I'll leave you to get some sleep now. You must be tired."

He was right. I _am_ tired.

"Thank you."

I spoke quietly, my voice cracking after the tears.

"I'll come back to check on you soon then."

He turned around to walk out of the room.

Suddenly, I felt as though I was already asleep. It was drawing me in...so tempting...

"Wait!"

I called, half asleep, to my handsome doctor for the last time that day.

"Yes?"

He turned around, hand still on the doorknob.

"Thank you, my savior..."

I muttered and gave into sleep, my eyes starting to close.

He smiled a small, quiet smile before nodding to me. He slipped out of the room and shut the lights off.

It seems he fell into my dreams that night as well...

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**Yawn...I'm really tired now. I myself haven't had any sleep for the past few days.**

**Also, this is my first ever chapter that I've had a flashback in. So...I was a little worried about doing it. I hope it came out well...**

**Please excuse me due to my lack of sleep if this chapter turned out crappy. **

**I know it's sappy, but it really will get better. Just bear with me for a bit more. **

**But I won't know how I'm doing if I don't get reviews! So please drop a review before you leave! **


	3. Chapter 2: Warming Up

**Disclaimer: I really am getting tired of writing these disclaimers. You should be smart enough to know that I don't own Fruits Basket. **

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**Chapter 2- Warming Up**

Morning already? The night went by so quickly! I stretched and yawned.

Ugh. I don't feel any better though.

I looked at my hands. My left hand had an IV in the top and the right one had a pulse monitor on one finger.

I wonder if Dr. Sohma is here today? We should get to know each other better.

The door opened and I turned my head to see who it was.

Dr. Sohma. Of course. Speak of the devil.

"Good morning doctor!," I smiled bravely.

"Good morning. You're feeling well, I assume?"

He sat on a chair next to my bed.

"Very much!," I smiled again.

"Any pain?"

"Nope. I feel a lot better than yesterday."

I lied through my teeth. Little did he know, I was in tons of pain.

But, I'm not one for taking medicine, so I left it at that for now.

"You're improving greatly. If all goes well from here, you should be able to leave in about two days."

"Great!"

I'm so happy now! I can finally leave and go back to Katrina!

While I'm very happy and smiling, Dr. Sohma's looking out the window. Very awkward silence...

Uhhh...what do I say...hmm. I wonder what his first name is? That should break the ice.

"Hey, Dr. Sohma?"

"Yes Fiora?"

"What's your first name?"

"Hm?" He looked surprised as he looked down at me.

"Surely you must have a first name..."

"Yes. It's Hatori. Hatori Sohma."

"That's a very beautiful name! I love it!"

That, on the other hand, was true. Hatori. I love that name. It reminds me of...a month?

"Thank you."

Another awkward silence after he answered. Now what...?

"You know, for some reason, you're different than the others...," I said quietly.

"What do you mean?," he spoke swiftly.

Wow...was he ever suspicious...

"I mean that you're more kind. But, I guess that's why you're a doctor; right?"

Great excuse Fiora. That was so damn cheesy...he probably thinks I'm some airhead...

"Yes."

Man, this guy was tense and to the point. Who knew anybody could be that stoic...he should loosen up a bit. I'm going to break him somehow.

"Don't you wonder what I do? I _am _25 and I _do_ have a job."

That should get him to say something...

"What is it you do?"

Damn, He's better than I thought at being emotionless...

"Glad you asked! I happen to be a-"

Beep...beep...beep. His beeper cut me off.

"I'm sorry. It seems I have to get going. We'll finish this conversation later."

He rose from his chair.

"I guess so...," I said quietly.

He nodded silently and left me alone again.

Yawn. Being alone is boring. A plain white hospital room, not being able to go anywhere, and now I'm alone. Great.

All of a sudden the beautiful white clouds outside my window looked interesting. Time passed as I watched them form shapes.

There was a sudden knock at the door.

I don't know how long I was staring at the clouds, but I was reluctant to avert my eyes. Then, at the thought of Hatori coming back, my eyes quickly flew to the door. I smiled and hoped it was him.

My hopes were crushed as a nurse walked in instead. She was so small and frail and was obviously having trouble carrying a heavy black bag. She put the bag on the floor and pushed in the door behind her.

"Fiora? A friend of yours sent this bag for you," she said to me.

What? I wonder who? Maybe...maybe it's Katrina! She remembered me...but...why didn't she come to visit?

"May I have it please?," I asked politely. I felt bad for this poor nurse.

"Of course," she picked the bag up again with a bit of trouble.

That bag really looked heavy. I wonder what's in it...

I only knew how heavy the bag really was after she put it on the bed next to me.

I swear, that bag weighed a ton. It was definitely weighing down the bed. Being so heavy, it really got me curious.

I smiled at the nurse and she returned the favor.

She bowed and left the room quickly.

She left me to the bag. There was a note hanging on the side that said: 'Fiora Suzuki'.

I knew that handwriting like the back of my hand. That _was_ Katrina's handwriting. She did remember!

Now...just to find out what was inside...

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**Cliffie time! I hope this didn't turn out as bad as I thought it did...**

**A while ago, I revised my planing for this story. It turns out that there will be a total of 14 chapters and then an epilogue. **

**I'm uber excited for the rest of this story! :)**

**One more thing. While you're here, and since you read the chapter, how about leaving a review for me? In case you don't know: anons **_**can **_**leave a review. So, even if you don't have a fanfiction account, I would appreciate a review! ;)**

**More reviews equal a faster next chapter! **


	4. Chapter 3: Abandoned

**Disclamer: Ever heard of Natsuki Takaya?**

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**Chapter 3- Abandoned**

Hmmm...what's this? A note?

Well, it's obviously from Katrina.

I opened the note on the top of the bag and read it carefully to myself:

_Dearest Fiora,_

_I'm sorry to tell you this, but, this was coming eventually and you know it. I'm moving. As we both know, neither of us can afford to rent the house together. I think it might be better if we went our separate ways. It would make it a lot easier for both of us to get on with our lives. I can imagine the look on your face now and I'm sorry. There's is no other option. I'm sorry to sat that we will probably never see each other again as well. We went through a lot and I want you to know that I love you. I also hope you feel better soon. Because of this decision, I cannot come and visit you. I also remembered that you were supposed to perform in a show yesterday. I'm sorry that you couldn't make it due to your injuries. I have one final thing to say: despite your anger right now, I pray that you'll still accept me as your friend. Your friendship means the world to me..._

_Love always, _

_Katrina Maruyama_

I read the note and died. Literally died...or could have.

My life has been crushed. Not only can I not further my career due to the accident, but I also can't see my only friend in the world.

How could she do this to me? She said that it would be years before she would have to move...and now what?!

I can't help but start crying loudly. She tore my heart out in the form of words.

That, I can't forgive her for. She could have came to see me one last time. I only remember her at the moment before my accident. She was screaming at me. That's how I'll always remember her, and it makes my blood boil.

The tears are flowing freely, like a river in the spring.

I held the letter close to my heart and remembered all the times we spent together. We were like sisters, only closer.

After my parents died, she took me in. I had no other family to go to. It's been ten years since then. Ten close years that we've lived together for. The ten best years of my life.

But, I have to go on living. I can't let this bring me down. I'm much stronger than that. If I survived that accident that should have taken my life, I can survive this.

But, I can never forgive her. She left me alone in the world. All I have now is a few yen to my name, my clothes, no place to go and she left me. That doesn't require forgiveness. Not from me at least.

I cried harder and harder as reality sunk in and I realized the dire situation I really was in...

That brings me to my final question:

Where will I go in the world?

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**Please excuse the crappy chapter length. I know it was short, but it said what I wanted it to say. Overall, with this chapter, I'm pretty satisfied with myself. **

**Don't forget to leave a review before you go! Push that blue button! **


	5. Chapter 4: Offer Of A Lifetime

**Disclaimer: Don't sue me. If I don't have enough money to own Fruits Basket, I don't have enough money for a lawsuit. **

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**Chapter 4- Offer of A Lifetime**

I tried to stop my tears, but to no avail.

I still couldn't believe that Katrina did that. She abandoned me. So much for our friendship.

And now, he comes at the wrong time.

Hatori will just add to my sadness now. No source of comfort from the stoic, withdrawn doctor.

"Are you alright Fiora? Some of the nurses heard you crying."

He seemed a bit worried. But, he was probably more worried about my health than my emotions.

"When did you say I could be released?," I asked in my shaky, pain- filled voice.

He walked to my bed as he said:

"In about a week if you're alright."

"Oh no! No...no!," I cried out the words.

"What's wrong?," Dr. Sohma sat on the chair next to me.

"You wouldn't understand..."

"I'm willing to listen," he said strictly.

Maybe he _can_ help me. Not to mooch off anybody or anything, but surely he won't leave me to the streets...

And just like that, I gave in and told him my story. I told him all about Katrina, what she did, and the note she left for me.

He seems to be listening fully, unlike before. He almost seemed interested.

Great. Now maybe he can help me.

"And now, I'm being released tomorrow without a place to return to."

I finished speaking and he looked at me deeply for a few more seconds.

"How would you like to live with my family and I?"

Oh my god! Did he really just ask me that? No freakin' way!

"Wouldn't that be too much of a hassle?"

I tried desperately not to hide my happiness.

"Not at all. What kind of doctor would I be if I released you onto the street?"

Talk about modest! I really am starting to like this guy. I wonder if his family members are as handsome as him?

"Thank you so much. You've given me the offer of a lifetime."

I finally realized it now: I was smiling brighter than ever. I felt like an absolute angel, the way I was glowing.

No. He's the angel. I owe it all to Hatori, the man who saved my life once again.

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**I know it's short; okay?! I'm still working on the other chapters and the next chapter's length will make up for how short this one is. **

**So, I hope that you all will continue to read my story! :) And I would appreciate feedback in reviews!**


	6. Chapter 5: New Family

**Disclaimer: --Insert repetitive 'I do not own Fruits Basket' phrase here.--**

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**Chapter 5- New Family**

I'm so excited! I've been smiling all morning, waiting for Hatori!

Not only was I released today, but I also get to meet Hatori's family.

When the nurse came in to help me change, I was literally bouncing up and down on the bed.

Changing, on the other hand, was an act on and of itself. With broken ribs that were healing, an almost broken leg and other multiple bruises, cuts and scratches, I couldn't even think of changing on my own.

Nevertheless, and despite the pain, I was as happy as ever!

As I sat on the bed waiting for Dr. Sohma, I decided to make myself look a bit better.

I braided my reddish- brown hair into two long braids and let some of my bangs fall into my face.

I decided to rummage through my bag for my makeup case. When I was done, my hazel eyes stood out more than ever and my face looked completely cleared of all the scratches and bruises. My face made me look like I was never hurt in the first place. If only you could see the rest of my body... I really took a beating.

If I could, I would have jumped out of the bed when Hatori came in.

He walked over and helped me get to the edge of the bed.

"Are you ready?," he asked in his serene voice.

"I'm so excited! I can barely wait!," I squealed as I eagerly shook my head.

He threw a small, uncharacteristic smile my way.

Without so much as another word, he helped me out of the room. I had separated the clothes into two smaller bags so they weren't as heavy. He carried one bag as I carried the other.

We walked silently down the busy hospital halls, into the elevator and into the parking lot to his car.

I was simply amazed by his car. He's definitely rich or something. Look at it! A black Mercedes, of course, with a license plate that says 'MD'. Wow. He's really important I guess.

I feel so inferior to him right now. Here I am, practically begging for shelter, while he's a big, and not to mention rich, doctor. He must be from a big family.

While I was still gaping at his car, he took the bag form my hand and put it in the back seat with the other one.

That's when I snapped out of it and chuckled nervously as I rubbed the back of my head. He just smirked at me sightly and offered his hand as help for me to get in the front seat.

Once both of us were safely in the car, he pulled out of the parking lot.

We drove silently as I looked out the window to my right. I recognized a few places that I've seen before, but nothing major. I was silently glad that we didn't pass the scene of my accident. Had we, I probably would have broken into sobs.

Other than the slight traffic, the ride was calm. He had some kind of news station playing softly on the radio. I listened to ignore the unnerving silence in the car.

We broke through the traffic and we were cruising down the road now.

"What's your family like?," I broke the silence.

"You'll be living with four others. There is Shigure Sohma, my cousin, who is a novelist. He's my age, 27. Then there are three younger ones that are high school students. They are Tohru Honda, and Yuki and Kyo Sohma."

He never, not even for a second, took his eyes off of the road. He kept a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands.

"Wow. Do you live with them?"

His family _does_ sound important. I get the feeling that that's not the half of it.

"No. I have my own house across from my clinic."

Damn! This guy owns a clinic too?! How does he manage that _and_ the hospital?! He's like, magic or something.

"So I'm staying with them?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

And back to silence, which I was completely okay with. I needed a bit of time to take in what he told me.

Apparently if his cousin is that same age as him, that means Hatori is 27 as well. Interesting. Only a two year difference. Maybe I'll get lucky...

And besides that, who's Tohru Honda? She's not a Sohma and she couldn't have married into the family if she's just in high school. If she lives with Shigure _Sohma_, then he can't be her father if she has the name _Honda_.

I'm really starting to wonder. I have a feeling that this family is a lot more different than others...

I tore my eyes away from my hands and looked out the window.

Amazing! Look at the beautiful forest! I've never been here before, yet it seems faintly familiar. Oh well! I guess the house is in there somewhere!

I kept my eyes glued to the window as I looked for some sight of the house. Eventually, we eased into a large clearing. It opened up into to most beautiful and traditional Japanese house that I've ever seen.

I tried not to gape at the house when I felt Hatori's gaze on me. Needless to say, I was surprised and in awe. _I _would live _there_. It seemed almost impossible a few days ago.

The car came to a slow stop in front of the house. Hatori turned off the car and took the keys out of the ignition as he turned to me.

"You're still recovering so I want you to take it easy today. If you need something, just let me know," he said to me.

"Okay. Aren't you staying though?," I asked.

"For a little while," he got out of the car.

He grabbed both of my bags as I somehow managed to pull myself out of the car.

We walked up to house together, next to each other.

As we approached, I saw a man in a grey kimono waving and smiling at us from the porch. I think that's Shigure Sohma for some reason. He looks a bit like Hatori.

We got closer to the house and he stopped waving and flashed a goofy smile in our direction as we walked up to the porch.

"Ahh...you must be Fiora! You're even more beautiful in person! Welcome to my house, my flower! I'm the amazing and very popular novelist, Shigure Sohma!," he smiled at me.

Shocking. Simply shocking. His smile was amazing. He was just as hot as Hatori.

"Nice to meet you Shigure. I hope me coming here wasn't too much of a bother...," I bowed in return.

"Not at all! I'm glad you're here. It'll be nice for Tohru to have another girl in the house and I'm sure that you're glad to get out of the hospital! How are you feeling, by the way? Did Hatori take good care of you? Hatori, you dog, you didn't-," Hatori cut off Shigure.

"Stop it Shigure. She just got here and you're already bothering her."

Shigure pouted at Hatori. It was so funny that I laughed a bit.

"It's okay Shigure. I'm doing well, actually, and I am glad to get out of the hospital as well. Hatori has been taking good care of me. I'll be fine before you know it!," I smiled at Shigure.

"Yosh!," Shigure held a thumb up and I laughed a bit more.

"Let's go introduce you to the rest of our household; shall we?," Shigure stretched out a hand towards me.

"Of course!," I smiled and took his hand.

He walked me into the house with Hatori following behind me with my bags.

When we got inside, Shigure led me to the living room.

There were three teenagers lined up. Two of them were smiling and the red- head had his arms crossed and was looking mad for some reason.

"Nice to meet you Fiora! I hope you like it here! I'm Tohru Honda!"

Aww...this girl was cute! I just want to hug her and make her my little sister forever!

"Welcome to our house! I'm Yuki Sohma. Nice to finally meet you."

He put a hand across his stomach and bowed. He was beautiful. It was kinda hard to believe that he was actually a _boy._ Any normal girl's self esteem would have taken a hit. Including mine. His flawless face made me seem ugly. And his manners are amazing. It's hard to believe that he's just in high school!

"Hey."

I guess he's Kyo then? His orange hair is a bit odd, but other than that, he's basically flawless. Kyo just stood there, not even looking at me. He definitely has some attitude problem. If he thinks he's going to take it out on me, I'll show him later.

"I've very glad to meet you all and I'm looking forward to living with you!," I bowed in return to the three.

"Don't mind Kyo. He has slight anger issues...," Shigure grinned at me.

"Heh...," Kyo scoffed and blushed slightly as he turned away.

The rest of us laughed at his reaction.

I decided to speak up:

"Thank you all so much for allowing me to stay here. I can't express how happy and grateful I am for every one of you. Especially Hatori, who took very good care of me in the hospital. I hope I'm not a bother."

"You'll never be a bother to us, my flower! We're glad to have you!," Shigure smiled.

"Yes. And I consider myself lucky to have such a kind patient to take care of. I hope you enjoy yourself here," Hatori said calmly.

I smiled so bright that my cheeks hurt! But, I couldn't help it! I was so happy...for the first time in my life, I couldn't stop smiling!

I realized that I was with my new family that I would enjoy very much. And so, I couldn't help but smile...

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**Whew! That took a toll on my poor fingers! Ya'll better appreciate that! ;) Just kidding! **

**I honestly think that this chapter made up for the last short one. See? I told you! **

**It gets a lot better, I promise! The next chapter is nothing but fun and humor, actually. **

**I hope you will still stay tuned and continue to read! **

**Thanks for the reviews so far! And, I'm hoping for more!**


	7. Chapter 7: Animals!

**Disclaimer: Be an angel and go back to read the last disclaimer. **

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**Chapter 6- Animals?!**

I woke up early this morning and was so excited for my second day at Sohma house. I jumped out of bed, as much as I could with the pain, and took and early shower.

It's about 6:30 now.

I raced down the stairs, as fast as I could go with my hurting leg, and went to the kitchen.

That's where I saw Tohru making breakfast. Who makes breakfast this early?

The least I can do is help her. After all, they're letting me live here.

I walked quietly behind Tohru. I bent down a bit and wrapped my arms around her in a small hug.

"Good morning Tohru!," I smiled.

I let her go and she turned around to face me.

"Oh! Good morning Fiora! What are you doing up so early?"

"I figured I would help you make breakfast."

"Oh no! You don't need to do that! You're the guest after all! You relax and I'll have breakfast done soon!," Tohru waved her hands and started to babble.

She's so kawaii! I wanna hug her again!

"Oh Tohru! You're soooo cute!," I hugged her again.

I swear, I was acting like some rabid fan girl that loves cute and fluffy things.

She blushed and smiled at me. Yep. She's definitely my little sister from now on.

"It's quite alright Tohru! I _want_ to help you make breakfast today! Please?," I smiled at her.

"If you want to...you can help by making the pancake batter," Tohru bit her lip.

"Alright! I can do that! I'll get started right away!," I mock saluted her and gabbed a bowl from the counter and set to work.

Tohru smiled back and went back to working on whatever she was working on earlier.

After about thirty minutes, the breakfast was done. It was beautiful! I was proud to work with Tohru.

I helped Tohru bring the food out to the table. Only Shigure and Kyo sat at the table and I wondered where Yuki was.

Tohru and I went back to the kitchen to grab plates and drinks. While Tohru got the drinks from the fridge, I reached up to a cabinet to get the plates.

That's when I heard a voice behind me:

"Watch out Fiora! The plate's going to fall!"

It was Yuki. I swiftly turned around to see him. As soon as I turned around, Yuki was standing right behind me.

I squeaked in surprise and fell forward, knocking Yuki to the ground.

After that incident, I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

I kneeled and started throwing out apologies to Yuki as I tried to help him up.

Before I knew it, there was a loud 'poof' and smoke filled the kitchen.

I was frantically trying to clear the smoke with my hands. When it _did_ clear, I was surprised at what I saw.

Yuki was gone. He just disappeared in front of my face. I don't get this one bit. The only thing that was on the floor was Yuki's clothes.

I thought I was seeing things until a small white mouse walked out of the collar of Yuki's shirt.

"Ahh! Mouse! Rat! Somebody help me!," I jumped to my feet and started screaming bloody murder.

In two seconds flat, Shigure, Kyo and Tohru were in the kitchen.

"Fiora? What happened?," Tohru looked at me.

I pointed blindly to the mouse on the floor, taking a step back.

"Oh Yuki. You did it again," Shigure smiled.

"What the hell do you mean? Where _is _Yuki?," I yelled at Shigure.

My heart was pounding now and I was more confused than ever before.

"Fiora, this _is _Yuki," Tohru picked up the small mouse and held it up to me.

"Huh? That's not true! You're lying!," I said.

The mouse in Tohru's hand looked up at me and spoke.

The freaking mouse actually _spoke_. When I say it spoke, I mean that it actually said _words_.

It was Yuki's voice none the less.

"It's true Fiora. It really is me: Yuki."

"Somebody better explain!," I screamed.

Kyo just smirked and left the kitchen.

Before I knew what was happening, there was another 'poof' and more smoke.

I stood patiently waiting for the smoke to clear. When it did, I wished I hadn't looked.

I was face to face with a very naked Yuki.

"Awahh!," I threw my hands over my eyes and turned around.

I cannot believe what happened just now. I just don't get it. They're definitely not telling me something.

"You can turn around now. I'm dressed," Yuki sad to me.

I turned around slowly to see a completely normal Yuki, a blushing Tohru and a laughing Shigure.

"What? What's going on?," I looked at everybody, hoping somebody could clue me in on what happened.

"I'll explain as we have breakfast," Shigure walked out of the kitchen.

I just followed slowly and sat at the table across from him.

Kyo was already at the table. Tohru and Yuki walked in with plates and handed then out.

We started eating silently. I gulped down my food faster than I've ever done before.

I was eager for an explanation, but I was hungry. The hospital food was nothing compared to this. It was sweet heaven!

I dropped my chopsticks and stared at Shigure.

He looked at me and smiled nervously.

"You can start explaining sometime soon," I smiled back.

"Do you know the tale of the twelve zodiac animals?," Shigure asked me.

"Yes," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Well..."

And Shigure went into detail on every aspect of their family curse and the legend behind it. I was very skeptical at this point, but I had no choice but to believe him after what happened earlier. And needless to say, I was relieved to know that I _wasn't _seeing things after all. At least my little sister Tohru isn't part of the zodiac...

"So, what year are you?," I asked Shigure.

"The year of the dog! The best zodiac animal!," he grinned.

"So Yuki's the year of the rat?," I asked.

"Yes," Yuki said.

"And you, Kyo?," I looked at him.

"The cat," Kyo looked mad as he spoke to me.

What is it with his attitude? He really needs to brighten up a bit.

"But the cat isn't a zodiac animal...," I said, confused once again.

"But it's in the legend. Therefore, the cat is kind of a zodiac misfit," Shigure said.

"I'm leavin'," Kyo stood up suddenly and ran out the front door.

"Is he okay?," I was concerned.

"He's fine. He just doesn't like it when you talk about the cat," Shigure said, "don't worry!"

I smiled at Shigure.

For every secret, there's a price to pay. I know that well. I wonder what I will have to sacrifice for knowing their family secret?

Only time will tell, I guess.

But now I was sure I was going to enjoy my stay with the Sohmas.

After all, my new family is full of animals! I'm going to really like it here...

* * *

**This chapter is longer than I expected it to be. It's a good thing I didn't try to write out a rough draft first. I did that on the computer. Otherwise, I would have lost a few of my fingers. :)**

**Anywho, I'm really sorry about the length inconsistency. I'm working hard though!**

**Would you be so kind as to leave a review for me? Please?! --puppy dog eyes-- You know you want to...**


	8. Fiora's Picture :D

I'd just like to let all my readers know that I finally made a picture of Fiora Suzuki!

I searched all over the internet for hours and then still had to change the eye and hair color, but I must say that the picture looks just like the Fiora that I thought up! :D

I'd love it if you went to my profile, clicked on the link to the picture and came back here and review about what you think!

I will try to have the next part of this story up soon...but I can't make any guarantees because I've been so busy lately. Anywho, thanks for reading so far...and be sure to stick with me on this story!

_**Love and thanks,  
Blood**_


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